boudreaux



9 9 m n 2 e n u l d e l n a t a P X U A E B D U 0 B E 0 P 4 8 7 2 6 0 NRAILWAY SWITCH.

(Application filed Apr. 8, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(N0 Model.)

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UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

PAUL O. E. BOUDREAUX, OF TI-IERIOT, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOXAVIER ST. MARTIN, J. T. THERIOT, AND ANASTASIE VVATKINS, OF

SAME PLACE.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 627,384, dated June 20,1899.

Application filed April 8,1899. Serial No. 712,258. (No model.)

To all whom it mcty concern.-

Be it known that I, PAUL O. E. BoUDREAUx,

of Theriot, in the parish of Terre Bonne and State of Louisiana, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Switches, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of railway-switches in which thelocomotive or a car Whether the latter is on the main track or on thesiding and whereby the possibility of accidentally derailin g the trainby running upon or ofi of an open switch may be precluded.

A further object of the invention is a looking device for theswitch-rails, whereby they will be automatically locked in line with themain-track section or siding, as may be'desired.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain arrangementand construction of switch-throwing levers and a locking device, which Ishall first describe and then point out the novel features in theappended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which like characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the'views.

Figure 1 is a plan View of the device with the protecting-cover partlybroken away.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is adetail section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectiontaken practically on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, the car being shown inposition to throw the switch. Fig. 5 is a detail pl'an'view of theguides and holding devices for the lever 26. Fig. 6 is a detail sectiontaken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 7 is a detail perspective viewillustrating the switch throwing and locking mechanism.

The switch-rails 10 are connected to the main-track section 11 in anyapproved manner and are mounted to move over awell 12,

in which the switch-throwing mechanism is located. This latter consistsprincipally of four rocking levers 13 and 13 and 14 and 14*, pivotedbetween their ends on spindles or axles 14, held in dependingyoke-frames secured to cross-bars 16 or to an ordinary cross-tie of thetrack. The levers 13 and 13 are parallel and extend in longitudinalalinement with the levers 14 and 14*, which latter are also parallel,the meeting ends of one set of lovers overlapping and resting upon theends of the otherset. The outer end of each lever terminates at a pointbeyond the switchrails, where it is provided with an upright post 15 and15 andl6 and 16. The posts 16 and 16 are similar in form andconstruction; but the posts 15 and 15, which are' located inside of thesiding-rails and the adjacent main-track rails, are so arranged that adepression of the post 15 will cause a depression of the diagonallyopposite lever 14 and its post 16. This is accomplished by extending theouter end of the lever 13 downward and inward, as shown in Fig. 7,around the adjacent lever 13 and mounting the post 15 on such extension,so that it will extend up along the inner or opposite side of theadjacent post 15.

A cross-bar 17 connects the switch-rails 10, and this bar is formed witha depending bifurcated arm 18, between whose members a wheel 19 isfitted. Just below said wheel the inner side edges of the levers 14 and14 are oppositely beveled, as at 20, and on these beveled edges thewheel 19 is adapted to ride, so that when the lever 14 is rocked itsbeveled edge will cause the wheel to move over and the switch-rail willbe thrown from the main track to the siding. Likewise it will be seenthat if the lever 14 is rocked an opposite movement of the parts will beeffected. To look the switch-rails in either position, I mount thelocking-lever 21 to tilt in a vertical plane in a' yoke-frame 22,secured to the under side of a cross-tie. The said locking-lever 21extends parallel with the switch-throwing levers, and a locking-pin 23rises from that end thereof nearest the end of the adjacent switch-rail,while the opposite end of said locking-lever is provided with a lateralfinger 24, adapted to extend over and lie upon both lapping ends of theswitch-levers. Now it will be seen -that when any one of the latterlevers is rocked it will raise the finger 2-1 and tilt thelocking-lever. At the same time, however, the switchrails will be movedlaterally, as described above, and as soon as the switch-levers assumetheir normal position the finger 24 will be released and thelocking-lever permitted to tilt back again with its locking-pin 23resting alongside of the adjacent switch-rail. In other words, thelocking-pin moves up and down in one plane when the switch is thrown,while the adjacent end of the switch-rail moves first to one side ofsaid pin and then to the other, being locked thereby in either position.In order to bring the locking-lever quickly to its normal position, itsrear end is counterweighted, and in order to maintain theswitch-throwing levers in position a guidepost 25 is placed on each sideof the same.

The car or the like adapted to operate the switch-throwing mechanism isprovided with the usual draw-head and platform, and a T- shaped lever 26is pivoted, preferably, to each end of the car and carries a leg 27 ateach short end, which legs extend downwardly on each side of thedraw-head and have inward extensions carrying a rolling presser-foot 28.The legs are fitted in guides on the end of the car, and the free end ofthe lever 26 is movable on a spring 29, formed with two recesses, intoeither one of which the lever may be sprung to hold either foot inlowermost position ready for engagement with a post on a switch-throwinglever. To release the lever from the recesses, each end of the spring issecured to a lever 29, against which the brakeman may thrust his hand orfoot to draw back the spring and release the lever.

A sheet-metal or other cover 30 is fitted over the well 12 justunderneath the rails and is formed with an elongated slot for themovement of the arm 18, openings for the passage of the switch-leverposts, an aperture through which the lockingpin 23 may work, and amanhole 30, through which access may be had to the interior of the wellfor the purpose of oiling or examining the parts.

In practical operation, the switch being set for the main track, thebrakeman on the car wishing to go upon the siding sets a rollingpresser-foot 28 on the car, so that it will engage with and depress thepost 10 as the car goes over the same. This will throw the switchrailsover to the siding, and as the cars leave the switch-rails and ride uponthe siding-rails the said presser-foot will depress the post 15 and notthe post 15, which is accounted for by the fact that the post 15 islocated the same distance from the adjacent siding-rail as the depressedpresser foot, and therefore the switch will not be moved, thus obviatingany danger of accidental derailment. In the same manner if the switch isset for the siding and a train wishes to continue on the main track theopposite presser-foot is set to depress the post 16, throwing the switchover to the maintrack section, and as the car continues on its way thesaid presser-foot will depress the post 15, thereby causing no change inthe position of the switch. By the arrangement of switch-levers which Ihave devised it will be evident no accidental derailing of a train by anopen switch can occur and the car operate the switch when on the sidingas well as when upon the main track, thus enabling a train to back fromthe siding to the main track, all of which renders the device especiallyeffective and advantageous for yard work, where agreat deal of shiftingis necessary.

To prevent the switch-rails from rising at any time while being thrown,the cross-bar 17 is fitted to move through straps 17 at the side of thetrack.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railway-switch,the combination with the laterally-movableswitch-rails, of two sets of parallel rocking levers connected with saidswitch-rails to move the same, the said levers having their meeting endslapping and having upright posts at their opposite ends, the post of oneof said levers extending up along the opposite side of the adjacentpost, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a railway-switcl1,the combination with the laterally-movableswitch-rails, of the levers mounted to rock in a vertical plane andarranged to throw the switch rails when rocked and a tilting leverpivoted alongside a switch-rail and havinga finger arranged to rest onone end of said levers and a lockingpin adjacent the end of such switch-rail, whereby the said rail will lie first on one side and then on theother of said pin as the switch is thrown by said rocking levers, as setforth.

3. In a railway-switcl1,tl1e combination with the main-track section,the siding and the movable switch-rails connected at one end to saidmain-track section, of the two sets of parallel levers mounted to rockbetween the rails and having their meeting ends lapping and their outerends extending beyond the switch-rails, means whereby to move said railswhen the levers are rocked, posts sccured to the outer ends of thelevers and arranged to be depressed by a car or the like, the post ofone lever adjacent the siding extending up along the opposite side ofthe adjacent post, whereby when depressed it will rock the diagonallyopposite lever, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a railway-switch,the combination with the movable switch-rails, ofthe parallel levers mounted to rock between said rails and having theiradjacent edges beveled, an arm depending between and .carried by saidswitch-rails, the said arm having a wheel mounted thereon and adapted toride on said beveled edges whereby to throw the switch, means forrocking said levers from a car or the like, and a tiltingc'ounterweighted lever pivoted alongside a switch-rail and having alocking-pin at one end and a lateral finger at the other, thelatternormally resting upon the ends of the switch-levers, as set forth.

5. In a railway-switch,the combination with the switch-rails, and therocking levers connected with said rails to throw the same, of therocking lever mounted to tilt in a vertical plane and having aconnection with the rocking levers whereby it will be tilted when anyone of the said levers is rocked, and a looking-pin carried by saidlever and normally extending up alongside a switch-rail, whereby thesaid rail will lie first on one side and then on the other as the switchis thrown, as set forth.

PAUL O. E. BOUDREAUX.

Witnesses:

F. S. STITT, SoLoN G. KEMON.

